Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 616 - 312: The Kings of the Wilderness

The mountains undulated across the highland, and birds flew to the far distance. Sun rose and moon set; the world always vast, space endless to the far distance. Trails of dust rose up in the distant sky, the grand troop moved from the horizon to sight. As the sun set and the moon rose, the sky turned to dusk, and the army halted its advance.

Draped in copper armor, Xiulote ascended a mound near the camp. He gazed to the north, where the twilight saturated the sky, casting a splendid light and shadow over the mountains. Light and shadow shifted, clouds danced, the earth and sky merged, yet were so elusive.

"Just like the gaze of the gods, observing the hearts of mortals..."

The king looked calmly at the sky, his thoughts soaring across the vast world. He had already heard of the battle situation in the valley, so he hurried day and night to get there.

The Toltec led his army to attack the valley. In just two days, eight hundred Imperial Guards were wounded or killed, five hundred Pamus samurai fell, and two hundred Light Archers were lost. A total of one thousand five hundred casualties, and Black Wolf was also injured and bedridden, unable to walk...

Xiulote slightly lowered his eyes, then looked to the far distance. At this moment, the mountains of the valley were at the end of his sight, just twenty or thirty miles away. Scouts from both sides were relaying information, running across the wilderness.

The king’s gaze lingered on the sky, as if feeling the mood of the gods. After a while, he hummed softly,

"...And like the brush of the gods, with the sunset as water, and night sky as ink. When the brush dips, the ink and water blend, making a picturesque sunset... The gods paint with the sky, and the king replies with his realm. My pen and ink are the same..."

The Head Warrior hurried over and saw His Highness’s calm demeanor, pausing slightly. In that moment, he was suddenly reminded of his Predecessor Monarch, Montezuma. Only after several breaths did he step forward respectfully to inquire.

"Your Highness, the legion camp has been established, and the gunpowder and food supplies are also properly arranged. Peasants are preparing dinner."

Xiulote nodded. The wilderness mountains were undulating, making the march slow. Out of the three thousand Imperial Guards, two thousand five hundred were in armor, carrying eight Eight-Gate Wooden Cannons and gunpowder, plus two thousand Militia transporting food supplies. Fortunately, they should reach the valley camp by tomorrow.

"Bertade, where is Jiowar’s legion?"

"According to the Messenger’s report, Prince Jiowar’s eastern legion is fifty miles to the northeast of our main force. They will continue to move northeast for a day, occupying strategic points there to guard against the Red Dog Tribe of Pamus City. The Red Dog Tribe has been frequently mobilizing lately, possibly coming to support the Red Fox Valley. The eastern legion’s Scouts have already clashed multiple times with their red-haired, and a battle is expected."

"Send an Envoy, tell Jiowar to halt the march, fortify the camp on the spot, control the nearby mountain paths, and cover the northeast of the main army. The corn hasn’t been harvested yet, and since the Canine Descendants are mobilizing now, they will certainly send troops. The Canine Descendants move fast, we need to guard against a surprise attack!"

Bertade took out paper and pen to quickly record the instructions and drew a simple map, before handing it to the king. Xiulote scanned it, stamped his seal, and then two trusted aides with the Jade Talisman and royal decree set off to the northeast immediately.

"What about Chalki’s legion?"

"Your Highness, General Chalki’s western legion is fifty miles to the west. They have sent a Messenger asking whether to converge with the central army?"

Xiulote pondered for a moment and shook his head.

"Send an Envoy, order Chalki! The western legion doesn’t need to converge; proceed directly to the northwest entrance of the Red Fox Valley. Since the Canine Descendants have trapped themselves, we cannot let them escape. Hmm, command Chalki to quicken the pace and send two thousand elite to block the entrance! Within two days, he must seal off the northwest passage, leaving no chance for the Canine Descendants’ Great Tribe to flee!"

"By your command, Your Highness."

Bertade bowed his head in salute and continued writing. Since Chalki, the troop leader, was illiterate, the Head Warrior drew a simple diagram and repeated the verbal message. Soon, two more envoys hurried away.

"Bertade, well drawn. The terrain and rivers, all marked very well. The pictographs are also very vivid."

Xiulote smiled, patting the Head Warrior on the shoulder. Then, the King turned around to look at the smoke rising from the campfires.

"The journey is long, the responsibility is great. After the northern campaign is complete, we must have the Otomi Tribes select their young to go to the Capital City for schooling! We’ll need to send more literate Priests as well..."

The cooking smoke curled upwards into the dim sky. Circles of bonfires flickered within the camp, while large groups of Samurai patrolled nearby. Outside the camp, nightfall covered the land. Two figures, hats on their heads, hid in the shadows of the bushes, their expressions serious as they spied on the distant camp.

The aroma of food drifted over from afar. Ivican swallowed hard and cursed softly.

"Ah! Grilled corn cakes. Damn it, the Cactus Tribe really is wealthy! In this season, they can still provide delicious corn cakes for all their Samurai! I can only eat pumpkin every meal..."

"Ivican, have you counted the number of cooking fires?"

Amoxtli whispered.

"The smoke is thick and black, all mixing together, who can count that? There are few trees and grass on the wilderness, and I don’t even know what they are burning, having seen no wood chopping..."

After trying hard to observe for a while, Ivican still shook his head.

"Amoxtli, during the day, did you see the marching columns, how many people do you estimate there were?"

"Around three to six thousand. At the front, there were lots of Platinum Cotton Armor-clad tough skins, followed by swarms of Militia transporting food. They were carrying strange wooden beasts, heaped with piles of food!"

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"Ah, I saw it too! In the middle of the column were eight long wooden beasts, worshiped by hundreds. The Cactus Tribe always has such bizarre and Mana-filled things. But no surprise in seeing these here in the God of Death’s Great Chief’s personal Guard Tribe!"

Ivican nodded. He gazed for a long while at the black Wolf Banner at the camp’s center as if he were seeing the totem of the Priests in his tribe before speaking again with reverence.

"Amoxtli, looking at the dust kicked up by the marching troop, it’s truly the scale of a Great Tribe. With the God of Death’s Great Chief personally leading the tribe here, and with many evil creatures, can we still hold the valley’s mouth?"

Amoxtli was silent for a while before shaking his head.

"Such things... What would a simple Red Fox Tribesman like me know."

"Ah! Amoxtli, the Chieftain has conscripted the Red-Haired from all Tribes, joining the Red Fox army. You are now part of our Red-Haired Tribe! I know how smart you are. Without you, I wouldn’t have achieved the merit from a few days ago. Right, the Chieftain promised to grant me a thousand warriors! In the future, I’ll lead the Tribal Warriors, and you’ll be the Deputy Leader. Yes, your tribe’s manpower will all be managed by you. The two of us brothers, together we’ll roam the Wilderness!"

The cruel battle at the Valley’s Mouth had passed several days ago, and each tribe of the Valley suffered heavy losses. The Red Cat Tribe lost three-quarters of its warriors, the Red Frog Tribe lost a quarter, and the Red Fox Tribe had a hundred fall in battle. Facing this situation, the three major Tribes began to conscript soldiers from the common Tribes en masse, divided up manpower, and sought to replenish the losses from the war.